Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics', 'Counting and the Natural Numbers' and 'Classes and Attributes'

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6 ideas

1. Philosophy / E. Nature of Metaphysics / 1. Nature of Metaphysics
21959 Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things [Moore,AW]
     Full Idea: Metaphysics is the most general attempt to make sense of things.
     From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], Intro)
     A reaction: This is the first sentence of Moore's book, and a touchstone idea all the way through. It stands up well, because it says enough without committing to too much. I have to agree with it. It implies explanation as the key. I like generality too.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 3. Nature of Numbers / d. Natural numbers
17423 The essence of natural numbers must reflect all the functions they perform [Sicha]
     Full Idea: What is really essential to being a natural number is what is common to the natural numbers in all the functions they perform.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 2)
     A reaction: I could try using natural numbers as insults. 'You despicable seven!' 'How dare you!' I actually agree. The question about functions is always 'what is it about this thing that enables it to perform this function'.
6. Mathematics / A. Nature of Mathematics / 4. Using Numbers / c. Counting procedure
17425 To know how many, you need a numerical quantifier, as well as equinumerosity [Sicha]
     Full Idea: A knowledge of 'how many' cannot be inferred from the equinumerosity of two collections; a numerical quantifier statement is needed.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 3)
17424 Counting puts an initial segment of a serial ordering 1-1 with some other entities [Sicha]
     Full Idea: Counting is the activity of putting an initial segment of a serially ordered string in 1-1 correspondence with some other collection of entities.
     From: Jeffrey H. Sicha (Counting and the Natural Numbers [1968], 2)
8. Modes of Existence / B. Properties / 11. Properties as Sets
9783 While no two classes coincide in membership, there are distinct but coextensive attributes [Cartwright,R]
     Full Idea: Attributes and classes are said to be distinguished by the fact that whereas no two classes coincide in membership, there are supposed to be distinct but coextensive attributes.
     From: Richard Cartwright (Classes and Attributes [1967], §2)
     A reaction: This spells out the standard problem of renates and cordates, that creatures with hearts and with kidneys are precisely coextensive, but that these properties are different. Cartwright then attacks the distinction.
11. Knowledge Aims / C. Knowing Reality / 3. Idealism / b. Transcendental idealism
21958 Appearances are nothing beyond representations, which is transcendental ideality [Moore,AW]
     Full Idea: Appearances in general are nothing outside our representations, which is just what we mean by transcendental ideality.
     From: A.W. Moore (The Evolution of Modern Metaphysics [2012], B535/A507)